Fires and Starlight
by FangZeronos
Summary: An on-going collection of Season 7 one-shots of varied ships.
1. Shiro and Allura

It had been two days since Allura transferred Shiro's soul-or was it consciousness? -back into his body from the Black Lion. With the team sitting on the nearly barren planet and getting some rest before starting their long trek back to Earth, Shiro sat up and stared at the fire keeping them warm, poking at the flames softly with what he assumed was a stick. Nearly a year outside of his own body, time was almost foreign to him again.

" _I died, Keith."_

 _Allura's hands on the Black Lion, absorbing his consciousness, placing him in the clone's body. Memories of the last months flooding his mind, from escaping the Galra—"Project Kuron stage three is in progress."—feeling helpless when the Black Lion didn't respond to him when Keith was on a Blades mission—"I need to help my friends. You have to let me help!"—the near endless battles, fighting Zarkon for Sam Holt, Coran's insane plays thanks to the brain bug. Then the darker memories flooded him, his heart thundering against his chest._

" _Give up the fight, Keith! I've already taken care of the team. You're the only one left!" he said, pinning Keith to the ground in the cloning facility._

" _Shiro, you're my brother! I love you!" Keith had yelled, breaking the clones concentration._

 _He remembered the pain of the severed robotic arm, falling unconscious until now._

 _Opening his eyes, getting blinded by the first real sunlight he'd seen in almost a year. The worried and smiling faces of the man he considered a brother and the woman he'd come to care for, even if he knew he'd never vocalize it._

" _You found me…" he'd whispered._

" _Rest," Allura said with a small smile, putting her hand on his._

"Rest," Shiro muttered. "Feels like all I've done is rest while they've been fighting. I've seen the fighting, I've seen everything, but it still feels so unreal." He got up and walked away from the fire, walking over to the Lions who were circling their camp, stepping between sleeping bags and makeshift mattresses that housed his friends and even some new faces in Romelle. He walked over to Black and climbed inside, sighing as he sat in the cockpit and put his hand on the console. "Thanks, Black. You saved my life, but…at what cost? Keith's your Paladin now, so what am I?"

He laid his head back and closed his eyes, sighing softly before his eyes snapped open with a new memory.

 _He was helping Pidge, his Galra arm being used to power the Omega Shield before another band of solar radiation could strike the planet. He gasped and saw himself facing the White Lion, the same that Allura had submitted to in Oriande. The White Lion lunged and snapped its jaws around his body, sending him flinching back and breaking the connection._

 _A new image popped up, the same White Lion but this time mechanized, looking regal and standing with the other Lions on a scorched battlefield, Galra fighters and cruisers lining the area for miles as they surveyed the end of the war with the Galra. The lions came together to form Voltron, the White Lion roaring as it leapt into the air, coming apart and attaching as new armor and a new mask for Voltron, armor coating its arms and torso with giant white wings._

Shiro's heart thundered as he sat up, putting his hand on his chest. "What in the world…?" he muttered. He got up and left the Black Lion, stumbling out and sinking to his knees beside its massive head, leaning back against it and panting softly.

"Shiro?" Allura's voice asked as she walked up, fear in her normally passive blue eyes. She knelt beside him and put her hand on his arm. "Are you alright? You look distressed."

Shiro sighed softly, looking at Allura. "Allura, if I'm being honest, I'm not alright," he said. "I died, got saved by the Black Lion, watched and wasn't able to tell anyone what was going on. I watched Lotor get distressingly close to you, the team fall apart and come back together, Keith go off and be a Blade, my clone take over, watch my friends nearly die a thousand times over, and now I'm sitting on a desert planet with a missing arm, getting flashes of a life that _isn't mine_ , and flashes of something else that I don't know what it means. I can't sleep because when I close my eyes, I get bombarded with a life that I don't know. I keep seeing a freaking White Lion and Voltron, and right now I am the furthest thing from alright." He looked at Allura and then tore his eyes away, looking out at the distance. "And now we're going back to Earth and I'm…terrified of returning because of how I left things with someone I thought I could spend my life with. I'm a different person then when I left for the Kerberos mission and…I don't want him to see me like I am."

Allura listened to Shiro vent, and she reached over and put her hand on his. "I'm sure that you're still the same person you were before. There's just been some changes in the time you've been gone," she said. "I can't understand what it was like for you, Shiro. Being dead versus being in cryosleep for ten thousand years is vastly different, but I do feel some sorrow that we did not figure it out sooner. I'm sure that whoever you have back on Earth, he'll feel the same way I do."

"And what way is that, Allura?" Shiro asked as he turned his head away, not meeting her eyes.

Allura put her hand on Shiro's cheek softly, making him look at her. "I am just happy that you are alive and back with us," she said. "And yes, we have a surplus of Paladins and a shortage of Lions, but given time, perhaps you can pilot Black once again and lead us to the end of the war."

Shiro nodded softly. "Maybe," he said. "If she lets me."

"She will," Allura said. "The Lions Quintessence is reflected in their Paladins. Yes, we have had to shuffle around due to circumstance, but things as they were before might happen again." Something he said finally clicked in her mind, and she turned to face him. "You said something about a White Lion?"

"Yes," Shiro said. "When you were at the Omega Shield and Pidge used my arm to connect with the systems to get the shield up, there was a moment when…I was facing a white lion. It roared and bit down on me, but…other then that, I don't know what it was. And earlier when I was in Black after getting up from the fire, I saw another vision or a dream or whatever it was, and we were on Earth and there were six Lions, but when Voltron formed, the White Lion became armor and wings and a new face for Voltron. I don't…know what it means, but I remember you said something about a White Lion when you were in Oriande."

Allura nodded. "It's interesting," she said. "I remember the White Lion and felt like it was more then just an illusion to keep people out of Oriande. Sometimes, dreams can be a way to see into the future. Perhaps we'll be able to either find or make this White Lion in the future."

Nodding, Shiro sighed as he looked up at the stars. "I didn't say it before, Allura, but thank you," he said, turning his head and looking at Allura. "Thank you for finding me."

Allura looked at Shiro and smiled softly. "You have always come for me when I was in trouble. I'll always do the same for you, Shiro," she said. She put her hand on his and squeezed softly.

Shiro smiled softly and nodded, squeezing Allura's hand back. "I'll always come back for you," he said. He stood up and helped her up. "You should rest. We've got a long journey until we get back to Earth."

"You should rest too, Shiro," Allura said. "I'll tend the fire and you get some sleep. Pidge wanted a run on rotation, so when you're asleep, I'll wake her."

Shiro smiled softly and nodded. He didn't know why, but he leaned down and kissed Allura's cheek, giving her hand a squeeze. "Good night, Princess," he said. "And again, thank you for finding me."

Allura felt herself blush, leaning up and kissing Shiro's cheek in return. "I'll always find you," she said, watching him head back to the other sleeping Paladins, Romelle, and Coran. She followed behind him, her face red as she lightly touched her cheek, smiling as she knelt to start stoking the fire again. She watched Shiro lay on the ground, asleep nearly instantly as his head hit the ground. She giggled softly, walking over and draping a blanket over him, moving his hair out of his face. "Good night, Black Paladin."


	2. Keith and Acxa

" _Thank you for saving us." Acxa's smile at his words sunk into his chest, worming their way into his heart._

Keith sighed as he sat up and watched the fire in the small cave, getting up and making his way outside. He looked up at the stars and rubbed at his eyes, folding his arms. He looked over his shoulder and saw Acxa standing against the wall of the cave, and he turned.

"You should be sleeping, Keith," Acxa said. "You've got a long road home ahead of you, and you need to rest before you go."

"I tried," Keith said. "I can't stop thinking about what Ezor and Zethrid said."

Acxa scoffed. "About how I liked you?" she asked. "Well, they weren't wrong."

"Really?"

Acxa shook her head. "Ever since the Weblum, and every time we've fought or encountered each other since, something about you made me stop and start examining my life," she said. "When Lotor ejected us from the Sincline and left us stranded, I knew where the three of us lay in his eyes, and it wasn't with the Galra. It was in a grave if he'd have his way. It's why I went rogue and started helping the Coalition. I wanted to make a difference and atone for what I've done over the last…three hundred years."

Keith raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Three hundred years?" he asked. "How old are you?"

"Four hundred nineteen," Acxa said. "Galra have really long lifespans. Haggar and Lotor were over ten-thousand."

"Well, you look good for being over four hundred years old," Keith said with a smile.

Acxa rolled her eyes. "Don't flatter yourself, boy," she said. "To me, you're nothing but a little gnat with a short lifespan. Whatever I feel for you won't last because I'll be there after you die. It's not fair, but it's the way life has to be."

Keith sighed and nodded. "It does suck," he said. "But, I have to ask. You're not full Galra, are you? Neither are Ezor and Zethrid. Lotor sure as hell isn't."

Acxa shook her head. "No, I'm not. I don't know what my other half is," she said. "I was found as a child, thrown in a "training school" though it was more a military academy. Got shoved around and bullied for not being "pure" and Zethrid took care of me. We found Narti and Ezor and the four of us were inseparable."

"Until he killed Narti," Keith said.

"Right," Acxa said, stuffing her hands in her pockets and stepping away from the rocks, looking out over the horizon and seeing the stars. "It's so beautiful out here. No war, no battles, no bloodshed. This is what I want in my future."

Keith reached over and put his hand on Acxa's shoulder. "You'll have it. We'll finish the War, we'll make up for the three years we were gone, and…you can have that dream."

Nodding, Acxa put her hand on Keith's, and for the first time realized how warm he was. She imagined him being warm in the past during the late nights alone in her quarters, and many nights since, but she found herself stepping slowly closer to him. She bit her lip and felt his arm around her, not realizing how close she'd stepped until she could feel his pulse in his hand, and she felt her own quickening.

"When Voltron and the Sincline disappeared into the rifts and none of you came out…I thought you were dead," she whispered. "I thought…the first person to show me true honor and respect in a _very_ long time was dead, and that thought scared me. It helped push me to do what I'm doing, but now that you're here…now that you're alive…"

Keith nodded softly, giving Acxa a gentle squeeze. "It's alright to be scared once in a while, Acxa. It's natural. When we were in the Quintessence fields between the rifts, there was a moment I didn't think we'd come out alive. I knew we very well could have died in there, and I was alright with that as long as the galaxy and the people we'd met were safe," he said. "As long as I knew you'd be safe."

Acxa looked at Keith. "You're dangerous for me."

"And you're dangerous for me. Isn't that what makes it fun?" Keith asked, stepping in front of Acxa. "Come with us. We're going to Earth, and we could always use another set of hands."

"I can't," Acxa said, taking Keith's hands. "But I can promise I'll be there when you need me."

Keith smiled softly and nodded, squeezing Acxa's hands. "I know," he said, looking at Acxa. "I trust you." He stepped back and stretched, rubbing his neck. "I probably should try and sleep. Allura wants us getting some distance tomorrow."

Acxa nodded softly, trying to hold onto the warmth from Keith's hands in her own. "Yeah," she said. "Yeah, you probably should." She turned and looked away from him, feeling her heart sinking. "Good night, Keith." She started to walk away, but she stopped when Keith grabbed her hand. "Keith—"

Keith turned and pulled Acxa close, leaning up and kissing her softly. He felt her arms around his neck and he smiled, feeling her press closer to him as she kissed him back.

"What was that for?" she asked, resting her forehead against his.

"Promising that you'll see me again," Keith said with a smile. "I promise, I will see you again, Acxa. I've got three years to make up for."

"Kill the Empire and we'll call it even," Acxa said, sliding her hands up and tangling her fingers in Keith's hair before slamming her lips against his again, feeling him shaking with silent laughter.

"You got it," Keith said with a smile.

When the Paladins loaded the Lions and left the next morning, Lance opened a channel to Keith. "So. You looked like you were in a good mood."

"Believe it or not, I am," Keith said. "Let's just focus on getting back to Earth for now. I'll explain later." He shut the channel and headed for space, sighing softly.

"Goodbye, Keith," Acxa whispered, standing on the top of the cave and watching the five lions disappear.


	3. Pidge and Hunk

Hunk sat alone in his room in the Garrison, looking at a picture of himself and his family. He was happy to be back on Earth, no doubts about it, but…he couldn't stop feeling like he was missing out. He knew his family had been captured, and he wanted to get them back, but he knew why he couldn't go off halfcocked and do it. He set the picture down and wiped his eyes, sighing softly.

"I'll will find you guys," he said, swallowing the lump in his throat. He stood up and sighed, making his way for the door and stopping when he opened it and came face to face with Pidge. "Pidge, hi."

"Hi," Pidge said with a small smile. "Are you ok, Hunk? You've been kind of distant since we rolled onto the Garrison."

"I'm fine," he said as he wiped his eyes again, putting on a smile. "I'm fine, Pidge. Or I'll be fine, one of the two."

"Hunk, you're not fine," Pidge said. "What happened?"

Hunk sighed softly, telling Pidge about his family being captured and used as labor by Sendak and how he wanted to get them but couldn't. "And we got back and the first thing you did was leap into your mom's arms and Lance's family surrounded him and…I felt like I was left out. I felt like a hole had been ripped out of my chest because I couldn't see my parents even though that was the one thing I wanted more then anything," he said, sitting down and biting his lip.

Pidge sighed, sitting down and looking at Hunk. "I'm sorry, Hunk," she said. "We didn't know about your family, and…if we did, we'd have helped you." She pushed her glasses up, getting a look on her face. "C'mon. I know what we can do."

"What?" Hunk asked, letting Pidge drag him up despite being an entire foot shorter then him. "What are we doing, Pidge?"

"You're coming with me," Pidge said, not letting go of Hunk's arm and leading him down the hall and towards the other side of the Garrison complex. She kept quiet and made her way down the hall, and she knew Hunk was only following her to make her happy, but she didn't care. He was her best friend and she didn't want him to feel left out or alone.

"Pidge, please," Hunk said. "What are we doing?"

Pidge sighed softly, stopping in the hallway and letting go of Hunk's arm. "Mom made dinner, and without Matt, the table feels empty," Pidge said. "I knew you were feeling bad because of your parents not being here, so I asked if I could come get you, so you could at least be included in something." 

Hunk looked down, feeling like a jerk now. He bit his lip and nodded softly. "I'm sorry, Pidge. I just…I was looking forward to this reunion with my family and finding out Sendak's got them building weapons…it just makes me so mad."

Pidge nodded, hugging Hunk. "It'll be alright, Hunk. We'll stop Sendak and free your parents. I promise."

Hunk nodded, hugging Pidge back and sighing as he did. "I just really wanted to see them."

"I know," Pidge said. "And I'll kick Lance's butt later for just running off with his family despite seeing how you were when we got home. But right now, my mother has made a lot of food which I plan on eating until I pass out. Want to join me?"

"Homecooked will be a welcome change then food goo," Hunk said with a small smile. He followed Pidge down the hall, walking into her parent's apartment.

"Mom," Pidge said, looking towards the kitchen. "I went and got Hunk."

Colleen smiled. "It's good to see you, Hunk," she said. "Please, come in and sit down. Katie told us about your parents, and it's always good to have extra friends at dinner."

Hunk smiled a bit and nodded. "Thank you, Mrs. Holt," he said, looking over as he heard Sam walking in. "Commander."

"Hunk, you don't have to call me Mrs. Holt. Colleen's fine," the older woman said with a smile as she turned back to the oven and proceeded to pull some dishes out, a wonderful smell of meat, potatoes, and sauces filling the room.

"Hunk," Sam said with a smile as he spotted the Yellow Paladin. "Good to see you're doing ok, son. Katie was worried about you."

"She worries about all of us," Hunk snickered.

"Hunk," Pidge pouted, shoving him playfully.

Hunk snickered, smiling and sitting down with Pidge. It may not have been his family, but he was happy to have someone that cared about him to include him on the time she should have been spending with her own family. Hunk knew he'd never be able to repay Pidge for that night.


	4. Krolia and Kolivan

Krolia watched as the Lions flew off, sighing as she set the knife in her belt. She walked back into the cave and walked over to the wall, pulling the other Blades' knives out of the wall, laying them on a ripped piece of curtain.

"You know that's useless," she heard. Krolia let her eyes drift over to Kolivan who was stoking a fire. "It's useless to gather those Blades. They'll never react for anyone again."

"So?" Krolia asked. "Just because they won't react to their owners, does not mean we cannot make a grave for each of our friends, Kolivan. Our fallen Brothers. We can't let their deaths be plaques on a madman's wall."

Kolivan fell silent. He stared into the fire and added a few more small planks, sighing softly. "We thought you two were dead," he said. "We searched the area the Castle was last seen for a phoeb, hoping to find something. When we didn't…we declared you and Keith dead, hung a memorial for the both of you in the base. Sylis, he spoke highly of Keith. Said he was one of the best partners on any mission he'd ever had. Everyone…everyone spoke of you like you were a god, Krolia. Their deaths…I heard several saying "Krolia, watch for us in the Spirit's embrace" as they died. I can't…imagine what they thought when you didn't greet them."

Krolia sighed softly, picking up Sylis' knife and sitting beside Kolivan, staring into the fire. "Kolivan…I am sorry. We didn't expect to be sent three deca-phoebes into the future. When the rifts closed, we thought it was all normal until Acxa—"

"Pah. The general of Lotor's? That little girl has no business helping the Coalition. She deserves to die like the rest of the Empire," Kolivan said, shaking his head.

"She saved our lives on Zethrid's ship, Kolivan. She and Keith…are the best damn partners I've ever seen since you and I were—" Krolia stopped, her hands clenched. "You can't get your disdain and hatred for the Empire unclouded from your eyes, old friend. Acxa is one of the few people in this Universe I would still trust."

"Who were the rest?" Kolivan asked.

"Sylis, Kess, Aliu, Prita, Thace, Ulaz, Antok, Vekt, Wiju, Haik. My brothers in arms in the Blades, Kolivan. And you," Krolia said. "Or did you forget the two hundred deca-phoebes we spent together when you trained me to be a Blade?" She put her hand on Kolivan's arm, sighing softly. "Kolivan. We're all that's left. You, me, Keith. We have to bring the Blades back."

"How?" Kolivan asked.

"The same way we started them," she said. "Together. These knives will react for others. It's happened in the past. Our brothers and sisters' legacies will live on, but…they can't without our help." She turned and moved her hand, putting it on Kolivan's cheek. "Please. I can't…I can't do this without you, Kolivan."

Kolivan sighed softly. He knew Krolia was right, but after the last three deca-phoebes he wasn't sure he'd be an effective leader anymore. "Can we even do this, Krolia?" he asked. "Find the men and women that can fill our ranks again and help stop the Empire? It's in shambles after Lotor's disappearance."

"We can, Kolivan," Krolia whispered. "We have to. The Paladins need our strength." Standing up, she walked back over to the wall and continued pulling the blades out and wrapping them. "So many fallen brothers and sisters. We will make sure your legacies live on."

Over the next months, with recruiting new members into the Blades, Krolia and Kolivan made their way to Earth, seeing Sendak's ship fall from the atmosphere. Making her way into the hospital when she found out from Commander Holt where her son was, Krolia walked in like she owned the place, nobody daring to mess with the clearly worried and angry pair coming through the halls.

Sitting on the edge of Keith's bed and taking her son's hand, Kolivan moved and sat against the window. "Wake up," Krolia whispered, rubbing Keith's hand. "You're not allowed to die yet, you hear me? You've got a life to live, Keith. You don't get to leave me yet."

Kolivan smiled softly, reaching over and taking Krolia's hand and squeezing softly. "He'll be fine, my dear," he said. "He's stubborn like his mother is."

Krolia smiled softly, squeezing Kolivan's hand back and nodded. "That is a quiznaking fact," she said. "And he's hardheaded like Texas was. And like you." 

Standing up, Kolivan walked over and wrapped his arm around Krolia's shoulders, kissing her head. "He wouldn't be one of our top Blades if he wasn't hardheaded. He's more determination in one hand then most of our Blades do in their entire body. I'm glad he's alright. For a while, it felt like Keith was the closest thing I had to a son."

"And now he is your son," Krolia said with a gentle smile, leaning up and kissing Kolivan softly. "Which is something we'll have to discuss with him."

Kolivan smiled against Krolia's lips. "In time, my dear. In time," he said. "For now, let him rest and wake on his own. He's had a long fight, and a war like that has earned him some well-deserved rest."

The two senior members of the Blades knew that in time, Keith would wake and be surprised by their presence, and Krolia was determined to sit and wait for the day her son's eyes opened, something she enjoyed immensely when he was a baby. She moved and set his knife on the bedside table, leaning down and placing a gentle kiss on Keith's forehead.

"You've done well," she whispered. "I'm so proud of you."


End file.
